Intersectionality has become a critical part of the progress in workplace diversity, inclusion, and equity. As an approach that draws attention to the enveloping and relational facets of people’s identities, the concept addresses how different demographics are uniquely marginalized by the systems in place.
With the growing interest in equity strategies, understanding the notion of intersectionality as it relates to people’s lived and shared experiences has become a necessary step toward an inclusive employee experience. Cultural competence, diversity training, and an all-inclusive approach to workplace policies will help many companies enhance their organizational culture and create a supportive business workplace.
Understanding Intersectionality and Its Importance for Diversity
The concept of intersectionality helps answer the question of how a person’s various identities related to race, sex, or class might combine to form how they experience societal structures or processes. Thus, the approach adopted in workplace diversity focuses on both categorizations and multiple points of identity, helping employers realize the potential distinctions between their workers. In light of a developing understanding of intersectionality for diverse and inclusive activities, subsequent advances continue to see intersectionality as more than just another distinction between employees.
Many organizations that move beyond representatives as per categories note a significant development that results in higher rates of employee engagement. By the end of 2025, over 70 percent of organizations are expected to consider intersectional frameworks a part of their DEI programs. Notably, a heightened intersectional understanding will likely raise efficiency in two tangible and less tangible ways.
Awareness of the Unique Struggles
Intersectional awareness will lead to a new type of understanding within an organization, where employers and employees alike recognize the complexities surrounding given employee’s life challenges.
Intersectional Leadership Representation
Organizations will increasingly strive for more diverse leadership teams that demonstrate the intersectional scope while making decisions.
Custom support
Intersectional considerations will result in creating support resources customized for the specific needs of employees, considering particular challenges that might be faced by those having multiple identities.
Specific issues
Organizations will address concerns specific to the intersection of identities, such as the needs of people being part of the LGBTQ+ and POC communities simultaneously.
Better allies
Being aware of intersectionality is to encourage these concepts in ally ship that will help coworkers meet the needs of their colleagues in terms of all their identities.
Training
As the concept will become more prevalent, most diversity training will develop a more intersectional perspective, helping employees better understand others’ identities.
Policymaking
Policies in the sphere of diversity will become better aligned with the efforts to develop intersectional inclusivity within organizations.
An intersectional approach to managing diversity will help organizations develop their strategies to empower employees in new and more effective ways. An inclusive organizational culture is largely supported by developing an understanding of complex prejudices and inequalities, and such training will be widespread in the future.
Building an Inclusive Organizational Culture Through Bias Awareness and Diversity Training
Undoubtedly, bias awareness and diversity training are essential for developing approaches within an inclusive organizational culture that support intersectional identities. When organizations educate their employees on unconscious bias and the system that is responsible for inequalities, intersectionality issues are also recognized: “Workplaces where intersectionality is addressed in diversity training see a 25% increase in employee engagement—researchers found that employees felt safer, better supported.”
It is expected that, in the future, traditional gender and race-based training sessions will be accompanied by sessions on intersectionality, thanks to which cultural competence will also increase as companies that expect trainings to become more intersectionality-based release the understanding.
Enhanced Cultural Competence
Intersectional diversity training will have a cultural competence component, and the future work with diverse teams will be conducted in a form of considering intersections. Training will help people learn about intersectional concepts, build intersectional teams, and better understand how to interact with one another respectfully. Teams will be trained on how to deal with issues that arise from intersectional perspectives.
Scenarios
The future training will be delivered as scenario-based training. Participants will learn about the challenges they can face when part of the company’s diverse staff with different intersectionalities. They will play roles and think about how to be respectful and empathic to others.
Inclusivity Managerial Training
The managers will be trained on how to support an intersectional employee better. This will extend current managerial training on being an ally and microaggressions to the level where managers are struggling to remain allies to the intersectional teams they are leading.
Improved Engagement
The company’s employees’ engagement will significantly grow with the intersectional aspect of identities. Employees tend to engage a lot with the affirmative environment that allows them to express all the parts of their identity and feel they are being taken care of and recognized.
Workshops
Future workshops will explore other related topics. Employees will learn more about social justice and systematic inequality that disproportionally hurt minority groups in the company.
Accountability
Future training will include both pre- and post-assessments. The company will improve its accountability by making sure that training is effective and that people are getting the concepts.
Conclusively, the company-friendly future will be much more inclusive, considering many different identities of the workforce. It will be more employee-engaging since engagement can be related to acceptance of diverse identities, which can be expressed and affirmed. Organizations of the future will employ many more policies on systematic inequality, tackling more issues than just gender and race.
Establishing Inclusive Workplace Policies and Equity Strategies
For a long time, organizations did not employ inclusive workplace policies and strategies that consider intersectionality. Workplace policies and equity strategies that are intersectional and consider multiple and complex identities were not set in place. In the future, organizations will implement policies that consider intersecting identities and their dynamics of finding their place in the professional world.
The implementation of better policies was necessitated by the realization that minorities found in companies and institutions require inclusive policies and strategies. These policies and strategies ensure that all members of the organization are catered for and provided with mechanisms and strategies that support them in the organizations.
For example, in the past, existing case studies indicate that companies, organizations, and institutions are expanding and refining policies that better members who traverse multiple identities such as age, race, and caregivers. When organizations get to a level of implementing workplace policies such as generous parental leave awarded to both women and men and the retention rate of women employees is 35 percent among women of color, then it increases the level of realization and implementation of intersectionality.
Companies in the future will work to ensure the implementation of equity strategies that are intersectional and bring positive change to members of society. The inclusion of intersectional strategies in organizations is no longer an option but a mandatory implementation of policies and strategies that will support the marginalized.
Flexible Working Arrangements
Policies that promote remote and hybrid work could support employees with intersecting needs, comprising both physical disabilities and caregiving responsibilities.
Equitable Pay Audits
Intersectional pay audits will be implemented to perform fair pay across racial and gender groups.
Expanded ERGs
Employee Resource Groups will be redesigned to fit intersectional needs; that is, an ERG will be established not only for Black employees but also for women of color, etc.
Increased Parental Support
Parental leave policies will factor in intersectional considerations, supporting a broader range of care and families.
Policies against Microaggressions
Anti-harassment policies will specifically take into account microaggressions for mutually exclusive intersectional identities.
Inclusive Healthcare Benefits
Healthcare plans will specifically cover services for gender identity and mental health therapists’ number per person of color.
Mentorship for Diverse Talent
To enhance the leadership diversity, mentorship programs will be made to be intersectional.
In conclusion, intersectional policies and strategies for equity in the workplace will pave the way for a more supportive environment and foster inclusion to promote organizational growth.
Strengthening Representation, Ally ship, and Community Support
Intersectionality also signifies diversity, representation, great ally ship, and community support. An organization with leadership that features diverse members sends a strong message of inclusivity to their employees.
The organizations inspired by People Strong found that organizations with diverse leadership teams have a 19% higher rate of employee satisfaction. This evidenced a high likelihood of creating a place of work where employees know that their voice is counted as a diverse team from different backgrounds.
Ally ship and community support are crucial to the development of an inclusive environment. On one hand, allies who are aware of intersectional issues are likely to help their colleagues and address the gaps in their understanding.
At the same time, companies will manage to form a more cohesive and positive culture in their organizations. In the future, developments by 2030 predict that ally ship and community practices will become standard, as they help develop inclusive teams in businesses. The list of developments is as follows:
Increased Representation in Leadership
Company leadership will start reflecting intersectional diversity, and decision-makers will better understand employees’ needs and value their identities more.
Ally ship Training
Programs of ally ship training will become a common practice for businesses, focused on intersectional support and understanding others.
ERGs and Communities Support
Employee Resource Groups will focus more on community building in their companies, with employees being encouraged to band together into communities and get support.
Social Justice Events and Issues
Business will see greater social justice initiatives in the workplace and beyond that focus on intersectional identities.
Intersectional Leadership Programs
Leadership development programs will focus more on intersectional mentorship and support more diverse applicants to reach executive roles.
Community Support and Partnerships
Companies will manage to develop more partnerships with non-profit organizations that focus on intersectional support for marginalized communities.
Internal Best Practices
Companies will focus more on open communication best practices that ensure that employees can freely discuss their identities and diversity and be sure that they will be heard and respected.
To sum up, companies will benefit from future representation and community practices through potential developments, which will help employees feel more valued and safe.
